Means for controlling electrically operated apparatus



March 30, 1954 E. WILMS 2,673,950

7 MEANS FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRICALLY OPERATED APPARATUS Filed April 11, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1

INVENTOR E DmuriD hill-m5 March 30, 1954 E. WILMS 7 MEANS FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRICALLY OPERATED APPARATUS Filed April 11, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2.

, INVENTOR Eomunv W/L'MS E. WILMS MEANS FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRICALLY OPERATED APPARATUS Filed April 11, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Eomww wmms' March 30, 1954 E. WILMS 2,673,950

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING ELEOTRICALLY OPERATED APPARATUS Filed April 11, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR EDmuHD WILMS BY Patented Mar. 30, 1954 MEANS FOR CONTROLLING ELECTEICALLY OPERATED APPARATUS Edmund Wilms, Zurich, Switzerland Application April 11, 1950, Serial No. 155,372

Claims priority, application Switzerland April 12, 1949 -5 Claims.

The present invention relates to an arrangement .for controlling electrically operated apparatus, and aims to provide means whereby a limb of the :human body, for example, a finger, (and hereinafter, for convenience of reference only, referred to. as fingerfi, can control said apparatus in such manner that thexamount of work performed by the apparatus is determined by the pressure of the finger thereon, and the capacity or amount of work performed is perceptible to said finger.

My invention broadly comprises a finger .operable lever with a servo-energy source and an arrangement of switches, whereby the finger is rendered sensible to the movements and force exerted by the working members of the apparatus.

According tonne-mode of embodying the invention, pressure .on the lever is adapted to set in motion a .motor fed. by a source of energy, said motor driving the working parts .of the apparatus, so that the movement and force exerted by these working parts react on the finger-operating the lever and cause its mechanical reaction.

In an alternative form of the invention, said motor may, by suitable means, he set operation and stopped both by the finger and by the reaction exerted by the working parts of the apparatus in carryingout their work, so that the working parts can .be stopped during their movement and be locked automatically in a static loaded position without further expenditure of energy on the part .of the source of energy feeding said motor.

It is a characteristic .ofthe invention that the finger operable lever of the apparatus constitutes part (of a closed chain .of mechanical parts arranged betweenlsaid finger and the working parts of the apparatus.

I will turther describe my invention with the aid of the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example only and not of limitation, onemode of embodiment wherein the apparatus is controllable by finger pressureand is arranged to cause an elementary movement of two tool parts, e. g., the blades of alpair of scissors, or the Jaws of a pair of-pliers.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic, mechanical and electric representation of "the device incorporating a pair of scissors, in a position of rest. F s- 2 s' sam dev ce etas he dra i gtolgther er ithsz we arsena sriigz awsiaeaeweiwan a a 9: Pli r substituted for'the scissors of the previous "views,

said pliers being in a position wherein they exert a certain pressure, without use of electricity.

Fig. 4 shows the device during the separating movement of the working parts, i. e., the jaws of the pliers.

In Figs. 2, 3 and 4, and for the sake of clarity, the electric wires which connect the electromotor with its battery source of energy and with the switch devices are shown chain-dotted when current flows through said Wires, but are indicated by broken lines if no current runs through them.

Referring now to the drawings, a lever I (Fig. l) pivoted on a pin 2 to a fixed part of the apparatus (not shown and fastened to a table or stand by suitable means) supports at its other end a two way switch 4. On lever I a toothed sector 5 is pivoted at 6 at a short distance from a pin 2. Said toothed sector 5 is in engagement with a worm gear I on the shaft 8 of an electromotor 9, the latter being firmly secured to lever I and .fed by a battery It, sector 5 is pin-joined to two levers H and 12, which in turn are operatively connected at H H to the blades of the scissors (or pliers) 13, 54 adjacent thereto and which are pivoted at IE to the fixed part of the device.

The outer laminae H and I 8 of the switch 4 are held equidistantly from the middle lamina t9 by means of an insulated distance piece latter is fastened to an end 2| of the movable part of a Bowden cable 22, whose outer fixed casing is made fast at 23 and 24 to the fixed part of the device. The other end 25 of the inner part of the Bowden cable 22 is connected with a cranked lever '26, whose axis of rotation 21 is on the fixed part of the device and whose shorter arm can be moved by the shank 3 of a lever pivoted at 3 and adapted for operation by one finger.

The movable lever 3 and an immovable lever 3 form together a scissor-like mechanism movement of which can be effected by the fingers of one hand similarly to a scissors or pliers move ment, and a spring 25 ensures that the shorter arm of the lever 25 is always adjacent to the lever 3 which latter is kept in position by a spring 3 On the longer arm of lever 25 is fixed a switch 28 having fine laminae, the two inner laminae 3c and 38 being held by an insulated distance piece 32 equidistant from the middle lamina Said distance piece 32 is connected by another Bowden cable idwith the sector 5, and the outer fixed casing of the cable 34 is made fast at '35 andtt to the fixed part of the device.

The circuit clearly shown in Fig. 1 permits no passage of electric current, that is to say, if lever 25 is not moved, the whole apparatus remains quiescent and no movement of any kind takes place. It now lever 3 is caused to press upon the adjacent arm of lever 26, then switch 28 and the distance piece 2i] are displaced relative to the distance piece 32 and the switch 4 respectively and assume the positions shown on Fig. 2. This occurs because firstly when motor 9 is stopped, the worm 1 locks sector 5 which can be then regarded as one piece with the lever l, and, secondly, because the two Bowden cables 22 and 34 operatin in opposite directions are secured to the same side of the lever I in relation to pivot 2. By the movement of switch 28 and distance piece 29, the corresponding contacts are closed and the circuit shown in Fig. 2 is set up.

The polarity of the electromotor 9 and the battery H), as well as the direction of rotation of the worm l are so combined that shaft 8 of motor 9 turns in such a manner that the two movable parts of the scissors l3 and I4 approach each other. As already stated, when the motor 9 is not running, lever l and sector 5 are to be considered as one piece, so that Bowden cable 22 will tend to cause the movement not only of the lever i but also that of the whole system, whilst the lever 26, by means of the Bowden cable 34, resists this movement. It therefore follows that only those movements can occur which are permitted by the bending capacity of the laminae of the switches 4 and 28, so that the circuit shown in Fig. 2 is set up.

If the circuit is now established as in Fig. 2, the scissor parts l3 and I4 move towards each other, whilst the movement of sector 5 is transferred by the Bowden cable 34 to the distance piece 32 and pushes it upwards (as viewed in the drawing). In the case of continued movement of lever 3 lever 26 undergoes a further movement clockwise, so that the switch 28 and the distance piece 32, are again moved by the cable M in the manner described, and retain their relative positions as shown in Fig. 2.

In consequence of the small distance between the two pivots 2 and B, the reaction exerted by parts i3 and I4 is transmitted to the lever 25, and, therefore, to the finger to a lesser extent. in. this manner the pressure exercised by the fingers and the power required by the two parts It and it for gripping, for example, an object of a certain weight, become proportional, the e1octromotor 9 however performing the requisite work. At the same time the Bowden cable 34 transmits a fraction of the movement of parts It and M to the lever 26 and, consequently, also to the lever 3.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the required movement of lever 3 which is moved by finger pressure, is in proportion to the displacement of the parts 13 and 14. Due to the resilience of the laminae of switches 4 and 28, the proportionality is not exact between the exertions and movements of parts 13 and i4, and of the finger pressure, but, from a practical point of view, it is adequate enough for desired movements of the finger to cause proportionate displacement of the WOlkil'lg members l3 and I4 of the apparatus and for the reaction of the stress of these working members to bring about a proportionate pressure on the finger.

As long as current runs through the motor 9, the two pincer parts l3 and [4 (Fig. 3) move together, until any further movement ceases by 4 reason of the resistance of the object which is gripped. In consequence of the reaction of the two pincer parts it and M and because the lever i and sector 5 may now be considered one piece, the Whole assembly carried by lever l turns through a small angle clockwise, so that the current is disconnected by moving switch 4 downward (Fig. 3) and the motor 9 stops running.

Thus by the automatic locking of the worm 1 and sector 5 the object is gripped without using any further current, and continues to be held, so that the source of energy i not quickly exhausted, which is advantageous when only small energy sources, such as pocket batteries, are relied upon, which, comparatively speaking, are only able to supply energy for short periods.

If the finger pressure is discontinued, so that no more pressure is exerted on the lever 26, then the lever 26 turns under the influence of spring 29, through a small angle anticlockwise, and switch 28 and distance piece 26 take up respective positions, with reference to distance piece 32 and switch 4, as shown in Fig. 4. Consequently, the electric circuit is closed, and the electromotor 9 begins to act, but in direction opposite to the case illustrated in Fig. 2, and the two parts N and W are again separated from one another. When lever 26 resumes its original position on account of the release of the finger pressure, then switch 4 opens and the whole apparatus returns to its original position of rest, as shown in Fig. 1.

What I claim is:

1. An operating arrangement, comprising in combination, an implement to be moved, said implement comprising at least one movably mounted operating member for operating the same; a first pivotally mounted support member connected to said operating member of said implement for moving the same; a second pivotally mounted support member supporting said first pivotally mounted support member; electrically operated drive means mounted on said second support member and engaging said first support member for moving the latter so' as to move said operating member; first switch means mounted on said second support member; a pivotally mounted actuating lever operatively connected to said first switch means for operating the same; second switch means mounted on said actuating lever; an electrical circuit including said first and said second switch means and said drive means so that the latter is controlled by said first and second switch means; and transmission means interconnecting said second switch means and said first support member for transmitting to said actuating lever resistance encountered by said implement during movement thereof, so that the operator will encounter during operation of said actuating lever a resistance varying in dependence upon the resistance encountered by said implement.

2. In an operating arrangement, comprising in combination, a support member having a portion thereof mounted for pivotal movement about a given point; a first switch means mounted on said support member on one side of said point and comprising at least two leaf contact members mounted for movement toward and away from each other; an actuating lever mounted for pivotal movement at an intermediate .part'thereof;

.a second switch means mounted "on said actuating lever adjacent one end thereof on one side of joined to said actuating lever on the other side of said part thereof from said second switch means, whereby, when said actuating lever is turned by the operator, said first and second cable means exert oppositely directed forces on i said support means so as to maintain the latter stationary and actuate said first and second switch means.

3. An operating arrangement comprising, in combination, a support; an implement movably mounted on said support; electrical drive means operatively connected to said implement for moving the same; a switch operatively connected to said drive means for controlling the same; switch closing means operatively connected to said switch for closing the same and being interconnected with said implement for movement therewith; a switch carrier movably mounted on said support and carrying said switch; and moving means operatively connected to said carrier and implement for moving said carrier with respect to said switch closing means to open said switch and stop said drive means when said implement encounters a resistance.

4. An operating arrangement comprising, in combination, a support; an implement movably mounted on said support; electrical drive means operatively connected to said implement for moving the same; a switch operatively connected to said drive means for controlling the same; switch closing means operatively connected to said switch for closing the same and being interconnected with said implement for movement therewith; a switch carrier movably mounted on said support and carrying said switch; and moving means operatively connected to said carrier and implement for moving said carrier with respect :to said switch closing means to open said switch and stop said drive means when said implement encounters a resistance, said moving means being 1 operatively connected to said drive means to be operated thereby. actuating lever, said second cable means being T1 5. An operating arrangementcomprising, in

' combination, a support; an implement movably mounted on said support; a first lever pivotally mounted on said support; a second lever pivotally mounted on said first lever and being connected to said implement; electrical drive means carried by said first lever and being operatively connected to said second lever for driving the latter so as to move said implement; a switch carried by said ,first lever and being operatively connected to said electrical drive means and switch closing means operatively connected 'to said switch for closing the same and being infor controlling the same;

terconnected with said implement for movement therewith, whereby, when said implement encounters a resistance, said drive means moves respect to said second lever to open said switch and automatically stop said drive means.

EDMUND WILMS.

7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

